The present invention relates to using software distribution server(s) on a data transmission network for updating application software of a workstation connected to the network, and relates in particular to a method and system for changing the operating system of a workstation connected to a data transmission network.
Data transmission networks include Local Area Networks (LAN), generally limited to a site owned by an enterprise and achieving high speeds, or Wide Area Networks (WAN) which connect together several LANs using connections of telecommunication firms.
In a data transmission network, such as a LAN or a WAN, a need to share information between users (which can be customers, business partners, providers etc.) leads to the use of servers. A server is a computer which provides services to several users at the same time. Such services can be data services (price lists, employee records, . . . ) application services (e.g. ordering, payroll, . . . ) or other services such as printing, electronic mail or software distribution. Depending on the implementation, a server may provide several services or types of services. Of course, several users can connect to one server and use the same service and a user may connect to several servers to use different services.
A user is associated with a workstation physically connected to the data transmission network. Such a workstation is provided with files which are stored on direct access storage disks which can be split into disk partitions. This allows management of different kinds of files. Thus, the workstation disks can include separate partitions for the operating system files, the application software and the application data. Updating application software stored in a workstation can be made in several ways, such as by using distribution media such as diskettes or CD-ROM""s, or by using distribution files stored on a standard server, or from a software distribution server. The distribution of the application code by a software distribution server has several advantages and therefore is more and more used in the business environment. These advantages are: It enables saving time spent by the users for new installations and therefore can easily be planned during periods of time when the workstation is not used; it ensures that a given community of users have the same version of applications; and it helps to control who is using a given application at a given time.
Distribution of application software from a software distribution server requires that a software distribution application is running in the workstation. This software distribution application needs to use functions of the operating system managing the workstation. Such functions are hardware management allowing various applications to share the same hardware, application management, functions starting the application, printing, networks access.
Like the business applications, the operating system managing the workstation needs to be updated or changed. Unfortunately, inasmuch as the software distribution application is using some functions of the operating system, major changes thereof like upgrading to a new version usually cannot be made by such a software distribution mechanism without human intervention on the workstation. Thus, the prior art systems have undesirable limitation and disadvantage.
The present invention overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
An advantage of the present invention is to achieve a method and system for changing the operating system of a workstation in a data transmission network without any on-site intervention.
The present invention relates therefore to a method and system of changing a current operating system to a new operating system at a workstation in a data transmission network interconnecting a plurality of workstations having each a storage device and a plurality of servers providing services to the workstations through the network, at least one of the plurality of servers being a software distribution server providing one of the plurality of workstations with updated application software. This invention discloses the steps of: a) creating (in Phase 0) in the storage device of the workstation a maintenance partition containing a minimum version of the current operating system and a backup partition including free storage space sufficient to store the partition image of the new operating system; b) transferring (in Phase 1) the partition image of the new operating system form the software distribution server to the backup partition; c) deleting (in Phase 2) the current operating system from the storage device of the workstation and delimiting a new partition for storing the new operating system; and d) loading (in Phase 3) the new operating system resulting from the partition image stored in the backup partition.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts.